Male Hatchling
Name: unnamed
Species: Voltarian Plague Wyrm
Birthday: Thursday, October 20, 2016
Owner: Marta
Element: Life 
Voltarian plague wyrms hatch out of their egg nippy and ready to latch onto the nearest hand that wanders too close. Their large yellow teeth are already well-developed and even protrude slightly from the mouth, like tusks. These allow the wyrms to grab onto a warm-blooded creature and begin feasting on their blood. The youngsters are small, however, and quickly sated; they can be removed with cold water, but need regular meals in order to stay alive. Oddly, their parasitic behavior is reported to make hosts feel invigorated, rather than fatigued, owing in large part to the wyrms' healing magic. However, for the more squeamish magi, larger creatures like pegasi and kordaetis elephants are good donors for Voltarian plague wyrms for they seem not to care if the creatures are stuck to their sides for a while. Between meals, the small draconians can be difficult to get along with, but when they are well-fed and curled up next to a fire, they may let their magi stroke their backs.
Voltarian plague wyrms make their homes in the rocky crags of the southern Alasre Mountains where they overlap with the Etain Desert. They have long been used in Voltar and the southern cities for their healing merits, and so much has been written about them that certain healers work almost exclusively with these wyrms and can work around their handicap. The voltarian plague wyrms are exceptionally susceptible to all kinds of spells, especially harmful ones, and any magic other than their own can alter their state making them harmful instead of helpful. Until the voltarian plague wyrm has worked the magic out of its system it is best kept away from any other living creature. In the wild, these small wyrms are excellent trackers, and will pursue big game for many leagues in order to find a meal. During the seasonal migrations, the wyrms return to the mountains and position themselves in canyons and narrow valleys to wait for passing herds, then lunge at them all at once. It is a dangerous endeavor and the wyrms that survive their first attempt may have to try many more times before they can latch onto a host. The reward is well worth the effort, though, as a wyrm that manages to catch a ride with a herd will have a supply of blood for weeks to come, passing between hosts as it pleases. Voltarian plague wyrms require the warmth of the desert and the volcanic regions, and so cannot stay with their hosts indefinitely. Should the weather grow too cold or too wet, they will depart from their host herd and travel back to the desert by foot.
Sprite art: Tekla | Description: PKGriffin